Two US tourists have been rescued by local people after they went missing for three days in the deep forests of southwest China's Yunnan Province last week. David Richard Hale and his wife Donna Louis Hale were following a group of other tourists through the forest on September 19 when they lost their way in heavy rain.

Over 200 police officers, members of the Chinese People's Armed Police, and villagers from the region launched a search and rescue operation to scour the mountainous area for the missing pair.

They braved freezing temperatures, oxygen deficiency from the high altitude, and difficult terrain. The missing couple were finally found exhausted with hunger, cold and fatigue and Ms. Hale was in a coma. They were soon sent to the First-Aid Center of Shangri-La County for treatment. By September 23, the couple had fully recovered, and resumed their sightseeing in Shangri-La.

(CCTV.com September 27, 2003)